The dramatic decline of the modern man Our ancestors were stronger and faster than we are. What happened?

An expert explains Conservative commentators have been bemoaning the decline of the American man almost as long as the American man has been in existence. As it turns out, they are right: Men these days are a mere shadow of what we once were.

We've become physically weaker than our ancestors. We're slower runners. We can't jump as high as we once did. As Peter McAllister, an archaeologist with the University of Western Australia and the author of the new book "Manthropology: The Science of Why the Modern Male Is Not the Man He Used to Be," puts it, we might be the "sorriest cohort of masculine Homo sapiens to ever walk the planet."

I, for one, blame guyliner. "Manthropology," a tongue-in-cheek look at the science of maleness, examines what recent discoveries in the fields of archaeology and anthropology can teach us about the state of modern masculinity. Ice Age aboriginal tribesmen, he discovers, were able to run long distances at approximately the same speed as modern-day Olympic sprinters. Classic Grecian rowers could attain speeds of 7.5 miles an hour, which today's rowers can only attain for short bursts of time.

Our culture may be obsessed with muscles: He notes that, since 1982, G.I. Joe's Sgt. Savage has gotten three times more muscular and Barbie's Ken now has a chest circumference attainable by only one in 50 men, but the luxuries of our contemporary lifestyle have caused a steady decline in genuine physical power.

The book may be a light, breezy work, but it puts our current debate around masculinity into fascinating context.Do you think masculinity is in a state of crisis?

I have a strong feeling that masculinity is in crisis. Men are really searching for a role in modern society; the things we used to do aren't in much demand anymore, and it seems we're having a little trouble finding a way to establish ourselves. I don't know about America, but it's certainly the case in Australia, that men have an ignorant, blithe assumption that they are the best that's ever been. But it's not really supported by the facts at all.

Wow! What a load of crap! Men are told to "not be barbarians" and are now being harassed for - "not being barbarians". Who thinks up this stuff?

btw, whoever wrote this piece has obviously never visited my "man cave".

Peace,

Infinite Blessings Mike/NAFOD"Lord, please, protect me from Your followers!""WWBD? Buddha- Does it matter? If you are enlightened it does not. If you are not enlightened it still doesn't matter.""If you go looking to place blame, eventually you'll wind up blaming the Gods"

I think people in general have become weaker than our ancestors. I don't think it's a matter of masculinity. I think it's a matter of modern technology and lifestyles making us lazy. People used to have to work physically much harder than they do today. It's part of the reason we're getting fatter as a society, too.

Our need to learn should always outweigh our need to be right

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren't so busy denying them.

Ha ha, Guesses, I don't know, as a single woman, I sometimes feel like real men are becoming more and more rare.

Perhaps it's merely a comparison, as in most things. You and I have been raised in Military families, therefore it's what we are used too. I don't know many "wimps" in the Military, and admittedly there are many less in the Military these days than in days past.

Peace,

Infinite Blessings Mike/NAFOD"Lord, please, protect me from Your followers!""WWBD? Buddha- Does it matter? If you are enlightened it does not. If you are not enlightened it still doesn't matter.""If you go looking to place blame, eventually you'll wind up blaming the Gods"

Perhaps it's merely a comparison, as in most things. You and I have been raised in Military families, therefore it's what we are used too. I don't know many "wimps" in the Military, and admittedly there are many less in the Military these days than in days past.

If someone detonating bombs in villages half the world away by pushing buttons from an air conditioned room is not a wimp, I don't know what a wimp is. And they are military.

Contrast that to a samurai, confronting death face to face by adhering to strict principles of honor and you can have an idea of the difference between a man and a wimp. It is more than just muscles, which seems to be what the OP is mostly about.

This wimpiness is just a phase as the male identity widens to include characteristics that are considered feminine. There is always a period of upheaval and breakdown during these times. It's like adolescence.

The masculine identity will emerge from it better and stronger and more inclusive of human character traits.

The same thing is happening with women as they expand their identities to include traits that are considered masculine.

1. Extremists think that thinking means agreeing with them.2. There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth.3. God is just a personification of reality, of pure objectivity.

Ha ha, Guesses, I don't know, as a single woman, I sometimes feel like real men are becoming more and more rare.

Perhaps it's merely a comparison, as in most things. You and I have been raised in Military families, therefore it's what we are used too. I don't know many "wimps" in the Military, and admittedly there are many less in the Military these days than in days past.

Peace,

Valid point. I certainly don't consider my father a wimp and I don't consider most military personnel wimps.

"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." George Chakiris

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.” Stuart Chase

This wimpiness is just a phase as the male identity widens to include characteristics that are considered feminine. There is always a period of upheaval and breakdown during these times. It's like adolescence.

The masculine identity will emerge from it better and stronger and more inclusive of human character traits.

The same thing is happening with women as they expand their identities to include traits that are considered masculine.

I agree. Although I would caution, it does at this time seem to include an underlying sentiment that what are considered feminine characteristics are bad, or "weak."

I've often said, women will gain real equality when they are respected as women -- not when they "earn" respect merely by taking on the characteristics of men. Because to me, the latter is just patriarchy in a different form.